2014 Campaign

The first Bisexual Health Awareness Month was conceived and implemented in March 2014 by the Bisexual Resource Center in order to raise awareness about health disparities in the bisexual community. Using current research and data — and the themeBi the Way, Our Health Matters Too!— the 2014 campaign disseminated information, infographics, and resources on the following four topics throughout March:

Mental Health and Biphobia

Bisexual individuals have reported a greater likelihood of experiencing depression, anxiety, and suicidality compared to heterosexuals, lesbian women, and gay men. Researchers and bisexual activists are beginning to correlate some of these poor mental health outcomes with the effects of biphobia and bisexual invisibility.

Sexual Health and Safer Sex

Bisexual women have the highest rate of never having a pap test compared to lesbian and heterosexual women. Bisexual men have a higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as HIV, gonorrhea, and syphilis, compared to heterosexual men.

Nutrition and Physical Activity

Bisexual women have higher rates of heart disease than heterosexual women; Elevated levels of cholesterol, blood pressure, and body mass index (BMI) contribute to this problem. Bisexual men may also be at higher risk for heart disease, but more research is needed on the extent of this issue.

Sexual Violence and Intimate Partner Violence

According to a 2010 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, 61.1% of bisexual women reported a lifetime prevalence of rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner compared to 43.8% of lesbian women and 35% of heterosexual women. This same survey found that 37.3% of bisexual men reported a lifetime prevalence of rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner compared to 26% of gay men and 29% of heterosexual men.

In addition to being well-received by the community at large, Bisexual Health Awareness Month was covered or mentioned in approximately40 articles and interviewsby several outlets and organizations.

Bisexual Health Awareness Month (BHAM) is a social media campaign dedicated to raising awareness about the bisexual community’s social, economic, and health disparities and advocating for resources and actions that can prevent or decrease these disparities.